Thursday, July 17, 2008

Brilliant observation about the weather, I know. But really people, it’s been hot. I went out for a nice, easy 5-miler at 3PM yesterday and began to get hallucinations around the three-mile mark. It was 90 degrees and 80% humidity, and I kept wondering why I didn’t see any other runners in Central Park. It’s because it’s damned hot outside, you idiot.

So the day before I was running along FDR Drive, the four-lane highway on the east side waterfront of Manhattan. It was hot then, too, and I was out there wearing only my new, bright yellow Mizunos and a moisture-wicking pair of running shorts, that’s it. I do not pretend to be anyone’s idea of a fine physical specimen, but at least I’m not too overly embarrassed when the heat forces me to run around like some topless, drunk 19-year-old in a ‘Girl’s Gone Wild’ video. Anyway, I’m running along the FDR, and the traffic is backed up for miles as it is sometimes, and soon I discover I’m eye candy for several drivers and scrubs stuck in gridlock. And then I get a major shout-out of whoops and hollers from one vehicle. And then another. So without missing a beat, I throw over my right shoulder a look that can only say: ‘You want some? Well, baby, sweetie, honey, you better be moving at 7:45 minute/miles on land or sea if you want some of THIS’. And then I fly off like a half- or fully-naked Will Ferrell, which he always seems to do in just about every movie he’s in.

I told you the heat is affecting my brain.

I’ve got more crap like that to post, so watch out. Next up is a post about yesterday’s trip to the pool, where I cranked (or is that crunked?) my customary laps while CNN’s Anderson Cooper, learning to scuba dive, sits at the bottom of the pool looking up as I exhibit PERFECT FORM for the children and old folks and at least one TV journalist. I was Cranky/Sexy (pronounced ‘Thek-thy'), alright.

Monday, July 7, 2008

It’s about the congestion of runners, cyclists, walkers et al, in Central Park. While the current situation in the park is probably not something any non-New Yorker would be interested in, this article does address some of the personality conflicts between those who hit the pavement on two feet versus two wheels (or four, if you count dogs). By the end of the article I got the impression that there are a lot of asshole cyclists using the park, but nobody’s perfect.

As for myself, I’ve never had a run-in with an athlete/cyclist. I stay on my side of the road, they stay on theirs, and that seems to work fine. But if you go into the park in the early morning, you do indeed hear the swoosh of cyclists, in packs, flying at top speed through red lights. Generally, they are not a relaxed group. And I’ve indeed heard them screaming at perceived idiots as they flew by. To be fair, there are a lot of idiots in the park. Some of them wear running shoes, and some of them ride bikes. And why any dog owner is dumb enough to take their pet off-leash in heavy road traffic is beyond me. Just because something is legal doesn’t make it the right thing to do. Of course, being a larval triathlete, I understand each side, and I’m happy at least swimmers aren’t affected. Then again, I’ve had a few poolside glaring matches with fast swimmers in lanes marked ‘slow’, so I guess hate lives everywhere.

But about sharing the park. For me, the problem is there’s too many narcissistic ‘type-A’s’ (I hate that description, remind me not to use it again) getting exercise in the park, and it’s gotten out of control. Adrian Benepe, the NYC park commissioner, put it well: “People need to behave more like members of a shared society and less narcissistically”.

THAT’s an understatement. Anyway, enjoy the article, and be glad you don't have to deal with this...

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

SO I haven’t written much, read much; been gone far too long, thought about hitting the ‘Delete Blog’ button since I had nothing much to say since training for whatever has been on hold for almost a month. I’d give all the reasons, but they’re boring and tiresome and anybody who still has the patience to stop by here again has probably heard it before and understands, too.

Now that it’s another month, and fall marathon training has to start soon, I guess I’ll be writing more. Or at least about the last month of travel, which included one four-day period when I ran in Vienna, New York City, and Palm Beach, Florida. Quite a contrast.

So I’ll post some ‘what I did on my summer vacation’-type pictures just to prove to you I wasn’t sitting at home and watching reality shows in my underwear. Wait a minute, I don’t think there are any reality shows going on there, better rephrase that better next time…

July 4th is around the corner, so I hope you all have nice plans. I won’t be at the Patriot Half on the 5th, it’s disappointing to say the least (which is one reason I haven’t written much since I don’t want to expose anyone to my whining). I did one of those pros vs. cons lists, and the cons won hands down. When the time comes that I can actually swim a mile, I’ll be ready, though I have to say when I’m in the pool now I’m so relaxed I have to be careful not to get distracted and sink. Plus three weeks of ‘no triathlon training’ didn’t help, either. But someday baby’s first triathlon will happen, I’m just not going to rush the training like I did this year.

As usual, thanks for listening. Good luck in the summer heat. More later!